How To

How to Survive a Job Search When You're a Bad Writer

How to Advance Your Career

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by Matt Alderton |
March 05, 2019

If there's one skill that job hunters need, it's writing. Think about it: Between a strong résumé, a killer cover letter and a deal-sealing post-interview thank-you note, landing a new job takes a lot of wordsmithing. And if you're not a wordsmith, that can be a problem.

"If you hate writing, the job search can be downright painful. Because, while you can apply for roles that don't require much of it, you'll still need to flex those communication muscles to make it through the application process," author Sara McCord writes in an article for The Muse.

If you're a bad writer, you can make your job search easier by using templates, according to McCord, who says templates are readily available on the web. (Just be sure to avoid plagiarizing. Templates are OK; stealing isn't.)

"Writing's a lot easier when you're not starting from scratch. If you sit down to compose a cover letter, or a LinkedIn invite, or thank-you note and you're looking at a blank screen, it's easy to feel intimidated," McCord notes. "With a template, you have a jumping-off point. It gives you the confidence to know you're on the right track, so you can spend your time customizing a sentence or two (as opposed to reinventing the wheel)."

Also, lean on your other skills when you can.

"Maybe you have a hard time clearly describing your abilities. But you also have a website or portfolio that shows your technical skills or demonstrates your impact visually. Link to it," McCord says. "If you don't have a portfolio to share, turn to your LinkedIn profile. Use your background photo to share your personality, attach any relevant links to your job descriptions and share articles that you think are great with a short status. These are all easy ways to show off your skill set, passion and accomplishments without typing more than a sentence."